South Alabama visits Sun Belt leader Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday

MOBILE, Alabama -- Fresh off its first-ever win over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent and its first-ever win over a Sun Belt Conference opponent -- all rolled up into the 37-34 double overtime victory over Florida Atlantic -- South Alabama returns to the fire Saturday.

South Alabama wide receiver Corey Besteda (9) celebrates with South Alabama quarterback Ross Metheny (2) after his touchdown in the second quarter against Florida Atlantic during a Sun Belt Conference football game Saturday, Oct. 20, 2012, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/mkittrell@al.com)

And the heat will be high.

The Jaguars hit the road to face Sun Belt leader Louisiana-Monroe in a 6 p.m. game. The Warhawks, who captured national attention with their win over Arkansas in their first game of the year and close games against Auburn and Baylor, are 3-0 in league play and 5-2 overall.

South Alabama enters the game at 2-5 and 1-2, but with an offense that is starting to show signs of life and a defense and special teams units that have been strong all season.

"We're going to find out where we are in the league on Saturday because there's no doubt they're the top team in the league,'' Jaguars' head coach Joey Jones said of Monroe. "Our kids are going to see how we match up.

"There's no doubt we've improved as a football team. At the start of the year, offensively, putting a new offense in took some time. But I think now we've gotten to the point where we're much better offensively. I'm real proud of our special teams. It seems like we're winning most of our games from a special teams standpoint and the defense continues to play well.''

Jones said his team has gained some momentum if recent games. The double overtime win over FAU was obviously a big win for the team and the program, but even the seven-point loss at Arkansas State the week before was a game in which the Jags gained valuable experience and confidence.

Ross Metheny has taken over the offense as the starting quarterback away from a two-quarterback system and the move seems to have helped the group gain some consistency and rhythm. The addition of Gabe Loper to the receiver corps has also been a plus. In two games at the position he has five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Jake Johnson continues to lead the defense with his solid play and he's getting a lot of help from players such as B.J. Scott, Enrique Williams, Terrell Brigham and Alex Page.

The Jags' biggest challenge this week will be trying to contain Monroe quarterback Kolton Browning, a dual threat who has a knack for making big plays at big moments.

"There's a lot of things you have to do (to defend against Browning) and I don't know if the things we're doing are enough because he's a great quarterback,'' Jones said. "There's so many things that he can do. He reads downfield well, he escapes the pocket well. he has an innate ability to be able to get out of jams.

"He's probably the most improvising quarterback that I've ever seen. He's not extremely fast but he always seems to be just one step ahead of everybody. He's uncanny in what he does.''

Browning isn't the only threat, Jones said.

"They spread the field and they're very diverse in what they do with their routes, depending on what you do in coverage,'' Jones said. "They make checks, they look at what you're doing and they try to get in the right call. They're not so much a hurry-up team as they want to be in the right call. They do a good job of giving themselves a chance to be in the right play.''

South Alabama will be looking for its first road win of the year. The Jags are 0-3 away from Ladd-Peebles Stadium, having lost at North Carolina State, Mississippi State and Arkansas State. Each of those teams, like Monroe, is enjoying a good season. Add Monroe to the mix and the four teams have a combined overall record of 21-7, with MSU boasting a perfect 7-0 mark.